A young man reportedly battling drugs and mental illness repeatedly stabbed his mother to death in their Shoreview condominium before turning the knife on himself, authorities said Tuesday.

Paul Wayne Wolter, 22, was found dead in the blood-soaked home along with the body of his mother, Susan Marie Wolter, 53, just before 9 p.m. Monday, authorities said. Both had multiple stab wounds.

Susan Wolter, her husband and their son had moved into the building at 4045 Hodgson Road a few years ago, neighbors said.

The husband, Wayne Henry Wolter, 62, who was out of town at the time of the killings, called police after he could not reach his wife on the phone.

Authorities arrived to discover a gruesome scene.

Ramsey County Undersheriff George Altendorfer said investigators determined the deaths were a murder-suicide.

“The son was wrestling with mental health issues,” Altendorfer said. “But we don’t think any of the family members envisioned this.”

He said investigators did not know what might have driven Paul Wolter to kill his mother and then himself. He said no suicide note was found.

One neighbor in the 72-unit building said she spoke often to Susan Wolter. The neighbor, who lives down the hall from the family and asked that she not be identified, said the son was withdrawn and had trouble keeping friends.

She said the young man alienated people at the condo complex by driving his moped or scooter into the building’s elevator and parking it inside the family’s second-floor condominium.

The neighbor said she knew Paul Wolter had mental health problems but said, “We were very surprised. I still haven’t slept since.”

The neighbor said Susan Wolter and her husband tried to place Paul Wolter in a treatment program because of a “very serious drug problem – street drugs.” But, she said, the parents were only able to place him in a day program, which she said was not helpful.

Altendorfer said authorities were investigating whether drugs played a role in the killings. He said there was no record of police being called previously to the home.

However, the neighbor said “the police have been there before.”

“I know what she was going through, and I don’t think she had a lot of support,” the neighbor said of Susan Wolter.

Many residents said she was “lovely,” “very attractive” and “just a sweetheart … a very nice woman.”

The neighbor said that about 8 a.m. Monday, a cleaning woman became suspicious after seeing the family’s door ajar and a newspaper still in the hall. The neighbor said a manager came out shortly afterward and knocked on the door, but no one answered.

Elaine Malat, who lives directly beneath the Wolters’ unit, said she was home all day Monday and didn’t hear a thing – until she heard water running upstairs. For hours.

“I know I first noticed it at 3 o’clock (p.m.) and it was still running at 8,” Malat said. “I actually thought there was no one home, and they left the water on.”

“No one heard anything,” said John Schmid, a longtime tenant and former board member of the condominium association. Schmid, shaking his head, said he liked Wayne Wolter enough to encourage him to run for the board.

Schmid said Wayne Wolter was out west – Las Vegas or Arizona – playing golf Monday. He said Wolter was retired from Arden Hills-based Land O’Lakes.

Susan Wolter was the Roseville fire department’s lone administrative assistant for the past 12 years.

“They say no-one’s indispensible, but she was as close to it as they come,” said Roseville Fire Chief Richard Gasaway Tuesday evening. “She was always finding the humor in life, was quick to make light of tough situations …

“I’m just incredibly at a loss,” he said.

One resident of the condo said Susan Wolter had a daughter, younger than Paul.

Dave Orrick can be reached at dorrick@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-2171.

As outdoors editor for the Pioneer Press, Orrick fishes, paddles, hunts, skis and romps across the region while staying on top of outdoors news. When the occasion demands, he's also been known to cover topics ranging from politics to golf. He lives in St. Paul with his wife and son.​

As you comment, please be respectful of other commenters and other viewpoints. Our goal with article comments is to provide a space for civil, informative and constructive conversations. We reserve the right to remove any comment we deem to be defamatory, rude, insulting to others, hateful, off-topic or reckless to the community. See our full terms of use here.

More in News

St. Paul Public Schools has established a where anyone can donate money to pay off anonymous students’ overdue lunch accounts. The district said it’s a response to a social media campaign that caused many people to call the district asking how they can give. Families in the district owe nearly $28,000 on school lunches. All district schools provide free breakfasts and most offer...

Weekend snow is on tap for much of southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin, with 3 to 6 inches expected in the Twin Cities and more elsewhere. The snow will be followed next week by the season’s first subzero temperatures. According to the National Weather Service, a slow-moving low pressure system will spread snow into western Minnesota on Saturday morning and...

Hennepin County Medical Center in downtown Minneapolis is planning to reduce its workforce by as much as 4 percent next year. The hospital plans to eliminate up to 275 full-time positions to balance the budget and keep the opening of a $220 million ambulatory and outpatient surgery center on schedule for 2018, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. The hospital’s workforce...

Two construction companies have agreed to pay a combined $147,500 in fines over safety violations in the death of one worker and injuries to another during construction of the Minnesota Vikings’ new stadium in downtown Minneapolis last year. Berwald Roofing is paying $113,200 for three violations, while Mortenson is paying $34,300 for one violation. The penalties are lower than Minnesota’s...

Larry Stanger, the Inver Grove Heights police chief who has been on paid leave since April while being investigated for alleged wrongdoing, will resign as part of a separation agreement reached between him and the city. The city council is scheduled to consider approving the agreement at its regularly scheduled meeting Monday. City Administrator Joe Lynch and City Attorney Tim...

St. Paul police are investigating a case of possible embezzlement at Town and Country Club. Police were notified of the matter on Monday and an investigator met with representatives of the club, said Steve Linders, a St. Paul police spokesman. A brief police report indicates the incident of possible embezzlement began in January 2010 and ended Dec. 2. Police are...